Exton is a rural locality in the local government area of Meander Valley in the Launceston region of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. The locality is about west of the town of Westbury. It lies on the outskirts of Deloraine, that lies next to the

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

from Launceston to Devonport. Its population was estimated at 200 in 1932, and the 2011 census reported the area of Reedy Marsh, which incorporated Exton, had a population of 309 people. The 2016 census has a population of 154 for the state suburb of Exton.

History

Exton was first known as Marsh Paddocks, a name that was used also by an early Inn. Marsh Paddock Inn was built c.1850 for William Walter Motton, owner of a Launceston to Westbury stage coach business in the 1840s. From 1860 to 1864 the licensee was George Axtell, former Port Arthur "Point Puer" juvenile convict. The hotel lost its licence in 1920. The building was renovated in the 1960s and the original top storey removed. It is now a private residence owned by Robert and Naomi McDonnell. Reverend Samuel Martin arrived in Tasmania on the "Sir Thomas Monro" in 1833, with his wife Sarah Martin (née Exton). Martin purchased a property called "Abbey Lara" and renamed the property Exton in honour of his wife. He built Exton House in 1845,von Stieglitz, p.22 and bred cattle on the estate. The original building was single storey and was replaced by a two-storey building in the 1850s. Around this time the area's name was changed from Marsh Paddocks to Exton. The house was sold to William Hart in 1886, who added verandas and balconies, and it remained in the Hart family until 1924. In the 1930s the Exton Estate covered , much of which was let to tenants, and the two-storey Exton House was noted as having 20 rooms. A

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

, then

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...

, chapel was built in 1856.von Stieglitz, p.23 By 1863 the area had a population of 110, two hotels (the Marsh Hotel and the Exton Hotel), a flour mill, brewery, and a public school. The same year it became part of the Westbury Municipality. Railway transport began when the western line from Launceston to Deloraine opened 10 February 1871. A state school, and teacher's residence, was built in 1890 at a cost of 247 pounds. The school was closed in 1951, and the building burned down in 1985. By the 1930s Exton's population had declined due to the mechanization of farming and improved transport reducing the need for labour. At this time the town's services had expanded to include the state school, a railway station, a

savings bank A savings bank is a financial institution whose primary purpose is accepting savings deposits and paying interest on those deposits. They originated in Europe during the 18th century with the aim of providing access to savings products to al ...

, G D Loone's general store and offices for postal, telegraph and money order services. The

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

began construction of Christ Church in 1901 and dedicated the building in 1902. It was still in use in the late 1970s but had closed by 1991. Exton's cricket club played its first game in 1895 and is one of the oldest in Tasmania. Australian test cricketer Jack Badcock was born in Exton. Exton was gazetted as a locality in 1968.

Geography

Thee Meander River flows through the locality from west to east, and then forms part of the eastern boundary.

Road infrastructure

The Bass Highway (National Route 1) enters from the east and runs through to the west, where it exits. Route B54 (Meander Valley Road) also passes through from east to west. Route C502 (Exton Road) starts at an intersection with B54 and runs south until it exits.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{authority control Localities of Meander Valley Council Towns in Tasmania